The Science Behind Cold Laser
Cold laser uses photochemistry that is backed by scientific and medical principles, clinical evidence, and of course, great results! Here’s a summary of exactly how the cold laser delivers fantastic outcomes.
Two rotating laser beams work simultaneously to completely cover the feet and nails. The beams are at different cold wavelengths, specifically 405nm and 635nm. Each has its own specific mechanism of action on the fungus:
- 405nm – this blue beam damages the fungus itself, causing changes in its outer wall, weakening it significantly, and allowing the body to attack and effectively clear the fungal infection.
- 635nm – this red beam works on the body’s natural immune cells, stimulating and fortifying them to effectively destroy the weakened fungus. This beam also improves circulation in the feet, bringing additional nutrients and immune cells in the blood to speed up the treatment process.
Together, the fungus is killed and your nail is free to grow clearly without infection.
Once the nail fungus is destroyed, we work with you to eliminate fungus and its spores from your environment through hygiene control and regular use of antifungal spray and creams during the initial stages of your treatment.
Image showing our podiatrist testing for the presence of fungal infection
Let’s get technical
If you’re interested in the technical and biological specs of how the Lunula works, you’ll love this. Lunula has been studied both in-vitro and in-vivo. Because the two beams are rotating lines as opposed to a manual ‘dot’, no fungus on the exposed foot surface is missed. This proprietary delivery mechanism also maximises photo concentration whilst remaining free of side effects.
The 405nm beam targets a membrane-bound enzyme call NADPH-oxidase, causing it to produce more reactive oxygen species, which converts to hydrogen peroxide. Increased hydrogen peroxide damages the fungus (cell wall and membrane) and impairs its function. This can destroy the fungus, and if not, it’ll make it susceptible to the body’s immune system to clear it.
The 635nm beam stimulates an enzyme (Cytochrome C-Oxidase) essential in producing energy (ATP) and reactive oxygen species (as the 405nm beam above). Increased ATP means increased nitric oxide production, which is essential in forming new blood vessels, increasing nutrient delivery and the infiltration of immunological cells. The increased hydrogen peroxide (due to the increased reactive oxygen species) also weakens the fungus and boosts the immune response against the fungus.
For more information about these wavelengths and their function, please refer to these clinical studies:
Lunula – Clinically Proven and FDA Approved
Clinical investigations on the effects of the 405nm and 635nm are numerous and are listed below. Investigations have also been undertaken on the Lunula laser itself, the exact device we use to treat your feet. The findings of these studies have been as follows. Please note that each study was carried out without any adverse effects.
- 168 toes were investigated where on average, 81% of the toenail was affected by nail fungus. One treatment using the Lunula Laser showed this percentage decrease to only 31% of nails still affected by the fungus. 6 months later, 63.6% of toenails showed complete clearance with no adverse effects.
- 139 toes were treated with the Lunula Cold Laser, having four treatment sessions at one week apart. At the end of the treatment period (4 weeks), 75.5% of nails had met the success criteria showing visibly clear new nail. This increased to 86% success by 12 weeks after treatment, and 99% after 48 weeks.
Read full study here - This study of 156 toenails showed a the negative presence of toenail fungus in 85% of toenails after 18 months after treatment, showing the Lunula Cold Laser to be a effective in the long-term eradication of fungal nail infections.
Read full study here - In an ongoing study of the Lunula on 320 patients, 93% are so far happy with the treatment in this ongoing clinical study.
Read full study here - A Podiatrist documented the effects of the Lunula on 800 toes over 18 months in his own practice and documented a 89% success rate.
Read full study here - The Complete Feet clinic completed their 2016/17 audit of their success rates using the cold laser in a 12-month period. They demonstrated an 84% – 87% success rate using the same cold laser as we do here.
Read full study here - To read about the effectiveness of our fungus-detecting strip test that is found to be ‘easy to use, gave rapid results and high reproducibility’, you can read the full study here
